What you fail to realize is that NBA is just an emotionless organization, when an owner trades a franchise player that stayed loyal to his team through the bad and the good, no one says anything. Pierce just got dumped after 15 years of service. It's just business. But when a player decides to make his own decisions in FREE AGENCY it's suddenly a crime against humanity and ultimate treachery. What exactly is wrong with giving yourself the best chance to win? Isn't that what Kobe was after when he demanded a trade when Lakers weren't contending? Oh wait let me guess that's different.

All these millionaire athletes already "made it", they couldn't give two shits about what the average fan considers honorable or "the right way" when it's just a bunch of men bouncing a ball around a court for our entertainment. If you want to win, you take it into your hands not sit on your ass while a front office that may be mentally challenged is making all the wrong moves or no moves at all.

It's time for you to come out of the dark ages and accept the fact that colleagues don't have to be enemies to compete fiercely in the playoffs. Didn't you see Spurs/Heat this year? Neither team ever trash talked or disrespected each other, yet we saw the most competitive and entertaining Finals in a decade. That "buddy buddy shit" is called mutual respect and admiration for talent and skill, something Kobe never quite learned. He always had to be the center of attention and "The Man", he always had to prove to everyone SOMETHING. That just screams childhood insecurity and self esteem issues. If you actually read and research what Shaq and Kobe' Laker teammates have to say about how he behaved during those years you would actually realize why he is in his current position. Kobe was always a distant loner that didn't like being "buddy buddy". There is nothing wrong communicating and socializing with your fellow ballers, you don't have to be a dick like Jordan to everyone to be considered a great player. That's what Kobe never understood, in his mind he has to emulate EVERYTHING about Jordan, even down to the dickhead attitude and personality.

I respect what you wrote...maybe there is hope after all...

But Kobe wanting to leave his situation compared to LeBrons in Cleveland's were his team ha the best record in the regular season two straight years????? And the manner in which he left and the destination he choose.....all suspect.

I know everything about Kobe as a rookie coming up in LA. He was a 17 year old kid of course he could not relate with the older men that all of a sudden became his peers.

Not a fan of this LeBron super friend BS. It reflects on the generation and started a bad trend.